State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, has introduced a bill similar to a measure that passed the House last year but died in the Senate, which would have allowed private utilities to charge customers for renewable power. #

Bennett’s bill would allow private utilities to pass on to customers the cost of increasing their mix of renewable sources, up to an amount equal to 2 percent of their revenues in 2011 and 2012, with the limit gradually rising to 4 percent by 2014. #

The bill would cover various forms of renewable energy, including solar and biomass. #

In an interview last year, FPL project management director Buck Martinez said such a “cost recovery” measure would eventually allow the utility to install hundreds of megawatts of solar panels, which would help jump-start a solar industry in Florida. #

Now, when the company builds solar installations, he said the company imports many of its parts from Asia, and much of its expertise from places like California and Germany. Large-scale solar companies would need to know the demand will last over the long term before setting up shop in Florida. #

Another bill introduced by Bennett would create a fund to pay for energy rebates and allow independent producers — such as businesses or homeowners that install solar panels on their roofs — to sell renewable power at rates equal to those charged by utilities to recovery their costs. That measure, he said, is open to tweaks. #

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